PNG asks IMF and World Bank to broaden ‘fragile’ definition

Foreign Affairs Minister Rimbink Pato

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, October 2, 2016 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG) 

PAPUA New Guinea has asked the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to extend its current definition of a ‘fragile state’, to take into consideration the effects of climate change as enablers of fragile state status, which will enable support from various programs aimed at assisting countries.

At the 3rd ‘Our Oceans’ conference held in Washington DC- Foreign Affairs Minister Rimbink Pato, taking the queue from Prime Minister O’Neill, raised the issue with senior officials from the WB and IMF.

“The second point that I raised in the pacific seminar was a follow-on of a representation that our Prime minister has made with the World Bank and I raised this point in the seminar and with direct discussions with the deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund and the issue is that the definition of what is a fragile state does not include the vulnerability of island states who are impacted by climate change,” Pato said.

“So if your not a fragile state within the World bank and IMF structure than you do not have the benefit of funding from those institutions.”

“So Papua New Guinea asked for the definition to be extended to include countries which are impacted by climate change, and the reception from the International Monetary Fund was very good- he was very positive and he is going to look at it.”

He said a formal written request was made, with the PM already written to the President of WB, with an additional letter to the IMF.

“Another issue I raised with International Monetary Fund is whether the funding from the World Bank or the IMF can be factored to use programs that include traditional methods of climate resilience and adaptation following the impacts of climate change,” Minister Pato added.

“In many of our traditional societies, before and today they did not have the technical know how, and they cannot react immediately to protect themselves when climate disasters occur but from time in memorial our people have been used to using traditional matters of climate resilience and adaptation and whether funding can be included to look at those options.”